Saturday, January 29, 2011

Here's an interesting article published in "New West" by Steve Bunk, a former science journalist. In an era where politics and emotional opinions seem to be dictating wildlife policy, there is a great need to rely more upon science. During the week, Denny Rehberg (R-MT) introduced a wolf bill into the House of Representatives which would hand over management authority of wolves to the states of Montana and Idaho. A second bill was introduced that same day that strip all protections from wolves nationwide. This could be devastating to this country's critically endangered wolves and the programs that work so hard to save these animals from the brink of extinction. Click below to view the two bills.

Friday, January 28, 2011

This has been a GREAT season for Kaila and the other 23 wolves that reside on the WCC's 27-acre winter wonderland, but the staff and volunteers are having a harder time embracing this month's record snowfall. Weekly blizzards have taken their toll on our equipment and during yesterday's clean up our only snow blower died. Our wishlist is robust and now and the number one item of need is a new or used snow blower. If you have an extra one you are willing to donate or if you know of any other leads, please email Spencer Wilhelm at spencer@nywolf.org or call us at 914-763-2373 x2. More snow is on the way... If you have the winter blues, just remember that there are 24 wolves in Westchester that are having a ball!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Hélène Grimaud, co-founder of the WCC, is in town this week which makes for some very giddy wolves. Hélène played a big role in the upbringing of all the WCC's ambassadors and Atka and Kaila went bananas when they saw her! Hélène will be performing at the WCC's "2011 - Year of the Pups!" fundraiser this evening for over 100 of the WCC's wonderful supporters!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Peek-a-boo! Lynnea Bolin captured this adorable moment earlier this month during one of the WCC's Photo Session Programs. If you have any great shots you would like to share, we would love to see them! please post your photos on the WCC's Facebook Page or send them to maggie@nywolf.org.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Saturday, January 22, 2011

What a great day at the American Museum of Natural History! Our annual trek to the Upper West Side is always a treat and this afternoon we were so pleased to see a number of familiar faces from previous visits. Six-year-old Olivia first met Atka at the museum last year and today she really enjoyed seeing an updated photo of red wolf m1803. She "adopted" the young wolf back in June of 2010 when the little fellow was barely one month old!

"Atka" by Ariella Rosen

Atka did a great job of wowing some first-timers too. A few hands went up at the start of the program when I asked if anyone was scared of wolves. Typically, most of the brave participants who admit fear are adults, but today a tiny hand belonging to Rachel, no more than 5 years old, was among the apprehensive. By program's end, she proudly shared that she liked Atka a lot and "...he's not scary!" Eleven-year-old Ariella enjoyed Atka so much she was inspired to do a series of really nice sketches of him!

We returned home to a quiet winter scene. Black vultures huddled in a tree while the wild turkeys made their way down our visitor path. Atka loves the spotlight but there's always something comforting about coming home.

Friday, January 21, 2011

January 20, 2011 - A full house of Wolf Conservation Center supporters braved the snowy landscape yesterday to attend a compelling program about an American legend and the magnificent glacier he called home. John Hyde, a photographer, cinematographer, and artist is the author of Romeo: The Story of an Alaskan Wolf, which details the life of Romeo, a beautiful black wolf who made the Mendenhal Glacier outside Juneau, Alaska his territory for the past decade. The lone wolf subsided on small mammals and fish in his cozy domain stretching just over ten square miles. Oddly unafraid of people and eager to bond with his canine cousins, this unique wolf inspired locals and tourists with his gentle and playful nature. Hyde's breathtaking photographs captured the not only the beauty of the wild wolf, but also the raw splendor of the habitat that takes on a persona of its own. Although far away from their neck of the woods in Juneau, John Hyde and his wife, Barbara, might have felt a touch of home here in Westchester, NY. During our celebration of Romeo, we paused to enjoy a chorus of howls that rolled through the trees and the glittering display of winter as the sun sank behind our diminutive hills. What a wonderful way to spend a Thursday afternoon.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Have you left your mark today? Part of our mission is to encourage people to do something every day to make the world a better place. If you've done something or have a good idea, let us know about it!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Winter is here and hormones are racing! Breeding season has begun and wolves in North America are busy wooing their mates using creative courtship rituals. Red wolf M1483 is feeling frisky and delivers a kiss to someone special :)

Sunday, January 16, 2011

The aerial predator control program in Alaska is facing some challenges. The loud opposition to the program isn't slowing down the hunt but rather an intervention by Mother Nature herself! Snowfall has been less than normal in parts of the state, limiting the success of the controversial program. This isn't the first time that Mother Nature has created challenges for the hunt, a record low number of wolves were killed last winter due to a lack of sufficient snow as well. Perhaps the state should worry less about the wolf population and more about why it isn't snowing in Alaska!

To read more about the challenges this year's aerial hunting program is facing from the Anchorage Daily News, please click here.

Click here if you would like to learn more about the what people can do to put an end to Aerial hunting in the U.S.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

While people continue to bicker about wolves in the west, the Imnaha Pack of northeastern Oregon has quietly developed into a substantial family. Oregon Fish and Wildlife officials recently discovered that the pack is larger than they previously thought. Aerial surveys reveal that the pack is currently 16 members strong. The Imnaha Pack is one of two packs that call Oregon home. The smaller Wenaha Pack, consisting of just 5 wolves, also roams the wilds of the extreme northeast corner of the state. Rarely are people lucky enough to behold wolves in the wild. Oregon Fish and Wildlife officials are not only among the fortunate few to glimpse these predators but they have managed to capture video too!

Check out their latest footage of the Imnaha Pack powering through snow.

The state or Oregon is providing official monthly news on its wolf population. Here is the December update and the archived reports can be found at Wolves of Oregon.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

The Northeast just got slammed by another storm and the Wolf Conservation Center received about 18" of snow. The wolves are loving it, but the rest of us are struggling a little. Can you find our little canid, Noah, in the photo above? More snow pix and video to come, but first we have to do a lot more shoveling!

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Here's a cool story from the blog of the Double Circle Ranch, which is located in Mexican gray wolf territory in Arizona. It shows how it is possible for wolves and cattle ranches to coexist. If you support the ranch's efforts, let them know in the comments section at the bottom of their blog page!

Friday, January 7, 2011

Kathy Lynch offers a fascinating update about the wolves of Yellowstone National Park's northern range on The Wildlife News. You can also experience the magic of Yellowstone first hand by joining the Wolf Conservation Center this spring or summer on the WCC's Yellowstone Adventure Trips! To learn more, click here or go to http://nywolf.org/typo3/news/events/yellowstone-adventure-2011.html. To read about last year's trips, enter "yellowstone" in the search box in the upper left corner of this page and then scroll down through the results or click on day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4, or preview.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Have you checked out the Wolf Conservation Center's red wolf live webcam lately? There's been lots of action today; one of the wolves seems to be parading around with a big piece of meat! If you use a PC, you should be able to access the feed here at http://www.microseven.com/nywolf-video.htm

Wolf Conservation Center co-founder Helene Grimaud is in San Francisco for a series of concerts before heading off to Japan. You can read about her musical endeavors in this interview in SFist.http://sfist.com/2011/01/05/sfist_interviews_pianist_helene_gri.php

Atka didn't have to travel far to visit his first school of the year. We visited North Salem Middle School right here in our neck of the woods. During the presentation Atka decided that the school should officially be part of the WCC's territory and he marked it so. One school down...

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About Us

Located in South Salem, NY, the Wolf Conservation Center (www.nywolf.org) exists to educate people about wolves and their valuable role in the environment, and to help protect their future in the wild. The WCC is home to ambassador wolves that visitors can observe in spacious natural enclosures. We also have over 20 wolves as part of our participation in Species Survival Plans for critically endangered Mexican Gray Wolves and Red Wolves. To learn more about us or to arrange a visit, please go to our website and follow us on Facebook. Questions about the blog? Email us at nywolf.org@gmail.com